Dateline: 1893. The subject: fashion of the 20th century. The place: the human imagination, where anything is possible. Did the visionaries of the Gilded Age correctly predict what people would be wearing in the centuries ahead? Nope! And it's awesome.
Here is a thing for you to learn today: The latest craze to hit the beautiful elites of Manhattan isn't plucked from the runways of Fashion Week, it's ripped from the sale section of the Lands End catalog. The trend—dubbed "normcore" because it involves dressing up like a "normal" (and/or a guy named Norm)—consists of…
Last week, Sasha Obama appeared at a basketball game in a unicorn sweater from Asos. It promptly sold out, delivering a dangerous shock to the nation's strategic unicorn sweater reserve.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--R5KPqZF5--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/19274d00owdp6jpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DtR_ZQfv--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/19274d00owdp6jpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--d1bTvACS--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/19274d00owdp6jpg.jpg, (large)])
There's an incredibly Times-y debate happening at the New York Times today — is it possible for men to dress in too youthful a style? If so, then what should be the penalty for men who dress to squire-ly? Lashings? Violent eye-shaming? Will the Fashion Police be dispatched? THERE'S ROOM FOR DEBATE!
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--P9XTAKIn--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18vdatcryebmejpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--r33-g6kd--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18vdatcryebmejpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Xr8s-Mb9--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18vdatcryebmejpg.jpg, (large)])
Selena Gomez turned 21 over the weekend, and on Saturday night, she threw a "gypsy"-themed birthday party. Uh… is that okay?
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--28PpRkvA--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18u94oewji9eujpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--5y8lQUV5--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18u94oewji9eujpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--NIuAzTZ9--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18u94oewji9eujpg.jpg, (large)])
Dear Lifehacker,
I’m starting at a new job soon, and I want to upgrade my wardrobe so it’s more work-appropriate. I’m on a budget for building my wardrobe from scratch, though. How many suits and other pieces of clothing should I own for both casual Fridays and regular work days?
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--k8ZQx7Ol--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18c5jysrgpxkkjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--oiIhCeUO--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18c5jysrgpxkkjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--x_UiMkdr--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18c5jysrgpxkkjpg.jpg, (large)])
From my mom to the New York Times, everyone's got an opinion about the FLOTUS' new bangs. Concerned citizens are either, "BANGS YAY!" or "BANGS NAY!" and the nation, as it stands, is very invested. Some guy behind me at Starbuck's yesterday was telling his friends how Michelle Obama's bangs were keeping him up at night. A…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--E-mWL-v6--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/1874ntchhixrhjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--aLEb2-nr--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/1874ntchhixrhjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_rfaDEYv--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1874ntchhixrhjpg.jpg, (large)])
Leave it to the latest scientific study to suck some of the glamour out of the mysteriously magnetic aura that surrounds self-proclaimed rebels and badasses like Ke$ha and Pee-Wee Herman: according to the deflating new study (published in Social Psychological Personality and Science) from Nicholas S. Holtzman and…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--w2PoKn5g--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17ttw2dbz5rmojpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--R7mfkIj0--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17ttw2dbz5rmojpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Sz87uPYr--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17ttw2dbz5rmojpg.jpg, (large)])
Hey, remember the '90s? They were cool. MTV showed music videos back then. The network also ran a weird, fun, bizarro program called House of Style, hosted by Cindy Crawford. Now, word on the street (in which the street is the Internet) is that House of Style is being resurrected, zombie-steez, (again, there was also a …
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--qVcok0YV--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17n0x3hfy9z7ljpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--M8iL_gAJ--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17n0x3hfy9z7ljpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--q236rjgK--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17n0x3hfy9z7ljpg.jpg, (large)])
It's not a secret that strapless bridal dresses are about as ubiquitous as that scene in movies where the officiant asks people in attendance at a wedding to speak up or forever hold their peace and someone speaks up, with comical results. But why? Strapless gowns are nearly universally unflattering, they're tough to…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Dc1Rcenr--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17mmki7mq7jxzjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--aU7TXX5R--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17mmki7mq7jxzjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--qs2mnRXL--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17mmki7mq7jxzjpg.jpg, (large)])
Your gay BFF President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at the all-women's Barnard College today. During his speech, he encouraged the Class of 2012 to focus on their own personal improvement rather than the "beauty and fashion" obsessed pop culture that surrounds them, but added an important caveat: just…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DVhu_T6q--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/17m0gh6r1kk9yjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--CDdYKAD8--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/17m0gh6r1kk9yjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DCnjMiVm--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/17m0gh6r1kk9yjpg.jpg, (large)])
World of Wonder's James St. James lists his top 7 GOT fashion orgasms, which include Daenerys' filigreed dress from Qarth, Arya's leather doublets, and a dead guy's fabulous breastplate: "Looks like they took an old Vivienne Westwood hangmen's sweater and dipped it in gold."
Personally, I'm quite fond of Margaery…], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rCDWIY0l--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18642zq3zxzqhjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--UwTwSCl2--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18642zq3zxzqhjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TFoDo3Hr--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18642zq3zxzqhjpg.jpg, (large)])
Every now and then the beauty pendulum swings toward sloppiness, and trend pieces start telling us we should be cultivating a look of "imperfection." Ladies, 2012 is such a time. But the existing tips on achieving imperfection don't go nearly far enough. Allow us to offer some of our own.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--9rQ7u_z1--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/1864bd81338qdjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--pFJ959Wb--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/1864bd81338qdjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--3Acb6XPq--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1864bd81338qdjpg.jpg, (large)])
As if the Los Angeles Times' investigation into Malia Obama's mysterious growth spurt — "Estimates put her at 5'9" or 5'10"," the once-great newspaper noted, "definitely taller than most children her age" — weren't enough, as Sasha and Malia Obama grow, they are also increasingly subject to public attention for their "style."
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--6g12_5hg--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18iw3jdz4mi8tjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--hmw5ypZH--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18iw3jdz4mi8tjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--T1g_y4iQ--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18iw3jdz4mi8tjpg.jpg, (large)])
Being both religious and cool is difficult in a society that increasingly scoffs faith, and being religious and cool is especially difficult if your religion demands that you do totally uncool things, like eschew beards and tattoos or wear religious garments under all of your outfits. So, how do young Mormons cope?
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_J4U2sPm--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18iwyvtqhm9mtjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7czu7F4_--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18iwyvtqhm9mtjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--bfYqb-Bi--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18iwyvtqhm9mtjpg.jpg, (large)])
Despite continued news about women's academic success in college, concerns are growing that male students still call the shots. One symptom, according to some, would be what we'll call "fashion inequality." Specifically, it's only the ladies who are getting all dolled up.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--4W6o60aS--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/1865zxb9bohpmjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--JYjVIZO9--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/1865zxb9bohpmjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--6iMxUtAp--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1865zxb9bohpmjpg.jpg, (large)])
Several people have written in to ask about what to wear when photographed. So we decided to investigate.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--wn5Tgwed--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18j04hj1tt7ttjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--t3ceQJDk--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18j04hj1tt7ttjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--UyuRNJN0--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18j04hj1tt7ttjpg.jpg, (large)])
She'll make the switch from fashion director to boss-lady on February 1. Don't expect any revolutions: though more "boyish" and "rock 'n' roll" than "sexy, frankly materialistic" departing editor Carine Roitfeld, Alt was chosen largely to "provide continuity."
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--l_GLW6oW--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18j0bngd8zjwsjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--UG7IPG_G--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18j0bngd8zjwsjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--1ByTUmRa--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18j0bngd8zjwsjpg.jpg, (large)])
[Thanks to magical camera tricks, Anja Rubik looks even taller than she usually does in this new Giuseppe Zanotti Design Spring Summer 2011 campaign ad. Image via Bloginity.]
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--xM8KIg7J--/c_fill,g_north,h_358,w_636/18j18g4h165u1jpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--6m8qF9t2--/c_fill,g_north,h_180,w_320/18j18g4h165u1jpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--20AYLBlo--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18j18g4h165u1jpg.jpg, (large)])
Ooh, what kinds of things? Well, sometimes women would kneel down at their feet and worship you. Neat! But not always—sometimes the ladies would just stand behind you, or touch your shoulder (maybe after women's lib took hold?)
